Chapter 3: Plan in Progress
Back in the normal world at night, the Poké Pals were devising a plan while the remaining members of Team Poké Friends patiently waited. Uxie had come over to the Guild to share his encounter with Darkrai. Piplup said, "So, Darkrai tricked you into wiping the memories of the three Poochyena…"
"I'm not proud of it," Uxie claimed shamefully.
"Everyone, even deities, make mistakes. It is okay, Uxie," Thomas consoled Uxie. The Being of Knowledge smiled at the bespectacled Turtwig.
"Maybe we can return those memories to the Poochyena," Chimchar theorized.
"Who are now Mightyena," Hannah pointed out.
"Anyways, I have a plan. We'll need someone to lure the three Mightyena out of that dark world which now has confirmed existence. If Eevee and Oshawott can escape, then that could be their role," Chimchar started to explain.
"And-slash-or Team New Life," Thomas added.
"Right. Then, I think we might be able to combine Piplup's Dimensional Scream and Uxie's powers of the mind to show the Mightyena what had happened," Chimchar explained. It was little more than a theory, but he seemed confident in it.
"Where would we lure them to?" Hannah asked.
"How about Sky Peak?" Piplup suggested. That was not a bad idea. No one objected.
"Okay! So, here's the plan! Piplup and Uxie will camp out in wait at Sky Peak. I'll try contacting Team New Life, and I may need Thomas and Hannah's help to do that. We'll get the Shaymin to hide and have our bait cross dimensions at the base of Sky Peak and run up the summit," Chimchar instructed.
Meanwhile, Eevee's three older brothers, Jolteon, Umbreon, and Leafeon were searching for an outlaw called Fearow. It was a small job in Foggy Forest, but it could have been possible that Fearow was a part of the circle of outlaws Darkrai had at his disposal. The yellow ring of fur on Umbreon's black forehead glowed like a flashlight. They were searching every branch for Fearow when they heard wings flap overhead. Umbreon looked up, and his light revealed their target. He growled, "Gotcha!" Then, he leapt up and pounced on the Flying-type. When Fearow was on the ground, Umbreon growled, "Tell me where my sister is!" Then, he bit down on Fearow's neck and snarled menacingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" the Fearow choked out. Umbreon didn't like that answer.
"Umbreon, lay off!" Leafeon urged desperately. "We don't want to kill him!"
After growling for a few seconds more, Umbreon lifted his teeth from Fearow's neck. He repeated, "Where is my sister?" The Dark-type's voice was firm and quite serious.
"I swear I don't know," Fearow panted as he heaved in air. He looked fearfully at Umbreon, and then he admitted, "But I admit that I did Darkrai a single favor and robbed supplies from a group of novice explorers. I feel so ashamed now."
"Darkrai made you mug rookies?" Jolteon asked Fearow. That was just an awful task to perform. Then, the Electric-type scoffed, "No wonder 'uses cowardly tactics' was on your wanted notice. Is that all you did for Darkrai?"
"Yes. That one sin is all I ever did for him. I swear. Please don't kill me," Fearow begged them.
"Fine," Umbreon sighed. "Come with us and don't struggle." He was angry and upset. So were his brothers. All of his siblings were worried about Eevee. She was so playful and gentle. She had endured so much for a Pokémon at such a young age.
Back in Mountain Pass Town, Eevee's sisters were praying for Eevee's safety. Kecleon, who was not only the shop owner but also the cousin of the Kecleon brothers in Treasure Town, had offered his condolences and gave them a free Pecha Berry, which was Eevee's favorite berry. Flareon told Kecleon, "We'll make sure we give this to her. They're her absolute favorite. They're so sweet and soft, just like her."
"She has Oshawott with her. He won't let anything happen to her," Vaporeon said out loud. She was trying to assure herself and her sisters of that. She trusted little Oshawott. After all, the first time Eevee was kidnapped, he went to great lengths just to save her.
Piplup had walked by them and told them the plan. Then, he left town for Sky Peak. Espeon said, "That plan sounds clever. I just hope it gets Eevee out of there."
"It better. I'm gonna freeze Darkrai's but and then kick it so hard he'll have to clear his throat before he farts! That's how angry I am!" Glaceon exclaimed. "He'll pay for his sins against our family!"
Back in Darkrai's realm, Celebi was receiving some sort of telepathic transmission. She had stopped and was soon in a state of deep meditation. Oshawott asked, "Why did she stop?"
"Who knows?" Grovyle simply answered. "But whatever the reason may be, it must be important."
"Dusknoir," Celebi said her teammate's name in a monotone voice. Her eyes were closed. She was still in meditation.
"Yes?" Dusknoir answered the call.
"The Poké Pals want to know if it is possible to combine Uxie's powers with Dimensional Scream to project flashbacks," Celebi explained. Her voice was still monotone. It was almost eerie, but the fact that she said 'Poké Pals' gave Oshawott and Eevee hope.
"Um…I believe it is possible. I don't think that sort of thing has ever been attempted, but that's no reason not to try," Dusknoir stated. He had never heard of such a thing to do, but, like he said, it was no reason not to try it out.
"Did you get that?" Celebi asked. As before, her eyes were closed and her voice was monotone and seemingly emotionless. She was not speaking to her teammates. She must have been talking to the Poké Pals on the other end. "Oh, yes, Oshawott and Eevee are with us right now. Okay. We'll get there as soon as we can." Her eyes opened. She announced, "They want us to open a Dimensional Hole leading to the base of Sky Peak."
"Sky Peak?" Oshawott and Eevee echoed. They had always wanted to visit Sky Peak together. Eevee's fluffy tail wagged with excitement. She was going to go home and visit Sky Peak with Oshawott!
"Right. I'll get to work on it right—" Dusknoir started to announce.
Grovyle stuck his hand up to stop Dusknoir from speaking. He listened carefully. He shut his eyes and only concentrated on sound. His eyes shot open and he told his allies, "They're following us. We must move now!"
"The Dimensional Hole can wait," Dusknoir agreed.
"There's a forest right near here. We can ditch them there," Celebi claimed. They swiftly guided Oshawott and Eevee away from where they were.
Oshawott couldn't tell what forest it was they were in, but it was gloomy and depressing, like the rest of that world. He decided to lose those depressing thoughts by petting Eevee's furry head and kissing one of her cheeks. She was so beautiful. He loved her, and he loved her very deeply. She was the Pokémon he wanted to be with forever.
Just then, his thoughts were interrupted as he and his love were being pelted with Gravelerocks. He whirled around and stood in front of Eevee, trying to block the Gravelerocks, but he couldn't protect her. They were being pelted and the throwers were three Misdreavus. Dusknoir saved them by firing a Shadow Ball that sent the pranksters scurrying off. He muttered, "Petty little hooligans."
"Are you okay, Eevee?" Oshawott asked with great concern. He was pretty hurt, but she was his main concern.
"I think so," Eevee, who had gotten battered by the stones she was pelted with, nodded and said softly. Oshawott, with all of his strength, hoisted her onto his back. She objected, "You're so sweet, but you don't need to carry me."
"But I want to," Oshawott replied. "You deserve the very best."
"Aww! That's so adorable!" Celebi cooed. She glanced at Grovyle and blushed.
"Thank you, sweetie," Eevee mumbled. She was tired. They had been on the run for…she didn't even know how long. It was as if being in a world of perpetual darkness had warped her conception of time. Oshawott was being so sweet and good to her. He had been trying hard to keep her spirits up.
"Anything for you," Oshawott replied. He couldn't wait to get to Sky Peak, but he had to get himself and Eevee out of the world of darkness first. That would be no easy feat.
"We should get moving," Grovyle suggested, unwittingly ruining the sweet, sweet moment.
With Eevee still on his back, Oshawott found a Pecha Berry. They were Eevee's favorite. He bent down, picked it up, and held it in front of her face. Then, he asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Wow. Oshawott, thank you so much. But…I think that we should split it," Eevee suggested. "You need to eat, too, you know." She was concerned for how he was holding up. Yes, she was hungry, but he must have been, too. She slid off of Oshawott's back. He used Razor Shell to cut the Pecha Berry in half. He cut if perfectly! She was amazed by his skill in slicing the berry.
He gave her half of the Pecha Berry and smiled. "C'mon! They're your favorite! Dig in!" he urged. She graciously took the half Pecha Berry. They each enjoyed their own half of the sweet, sweet berry, and it seemed to be even sweeter in each other's presence.
"Thank you so much," Eevee thanked him softly. She had been so soft spoken lately. It was mostly her personality, but it may have also been because of the stress of the dark realm.
After they had finished their Pecha Berry, Oshawott and Eevee joined the whole group as they were once again mobilized. Oshawott was excited. He was going to be reunited with his team and he and Eevee were going to go to Sky Peak together! Ever since he had developed feelings for her, he thought she would find it romantic if he had given her a Sky Gift, but the opportunity had never come up. All they had to do was find a place where they could buy Dusknoir some time to open a Dimensional Hole.
Back at Darkrai's stockade, he had been very angry with the youngest Mightyena. He scolded, "You let them get away! You call yourself a hunter?!"
"Master, if I may speak on behalf of my brother, perhaps the ex-hostages could still be of value," the middle sibling of the Mightyena trio spoke up.
Darkrai took a moment to ponder this, and then he said, "You may be right. Find them and bring them to me. Do with Team New Life as you wish."
"Yes, Master Darkrai," all three of the Mightyena bowed and exited the room.